VHlogo
       
October, 2013
In This Issue
Words from Wendy
Authors...
Free Event
Photos to Enjoy
Follow Us
  
Find us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter

 

View our profile on LinkedIn

 

Visit our blog

 

LittleWingsConnections

"Connecting People to Business"

LittleWings

Vacaville

LWConnections Luncheon

First Thursday of the Month

@Stars Recreation Center

155 Browns Valley Pkwy.

Vacaville, CA 95688

  

Find Us On Facebook

 

smarketLOGO

Find Us

 

Prime Time Living Magazine

Wendy VanHatten is an editor for

Quick Links

Books by Wendy


MyronBookCover


2Book
 
 MyLifeCover
 

"WRITE" Newsletter

Words from Wendy... 

 

Here's an update on the changes happening in my office.

Shadow, my office kitten, is growing. I guess kittens do that. He continues to steal my pens, play with piles of paper, chew on the corners of my calendar, and keep me entertained. Then he falls asleep...sometimes right on top of what I have been working on. It's never dull in the office. 

 

The mystery I'm working on is back from my editor, I've made the suggested changes, and it's being reviewed. Now, it's ready for the final title and my review. Then, off to the publisher. Shadow was supposed to give me ideas for a title...but so far, nothing. Guess I'll have to think of one on my own! This mystery might just get me started on another one.

 

Recently, I had the opportunity to participate in a wine tasting. That in itself was fun. But, the second part of that was the blogging and live chat during the event. We tasted different Sauvignon Blanc wines from Loire, France, blogged about them during the tasting event with a master sommelier and another wine guru, tried them with their suggested cheeses, and then made recipes suggested by a chef. This whole event has offered a new blogging opportunity for me (follow along on Twitter at twitter.com/WendyVH).  I will also have posts on my travel blog along with the travel tips and photos I post.

 

The latest in our Max and Myron series is out...Max and Myron Learn Please Don't Tease. It is available from me and on Amazon. Dave and I have had a wonderful time writing these and the schools love them. Teachers use them to reinforce good manners and character traits. Grandparents and parents use them to teach kids to read as well. We have some more in the works as well as a Teacher's Guide. Stay tuned for that as well.

 

Our Writer's Concierge program is moving forward. If you are an author or know one that could use some assistance...let me know. We can probably help them.

 

Things keep rolling along and keep me hopping.

Authors...

 

Recently I had the pleasure of interviewing two authors about their latest books. The first author, Debbie Stempien, has just released her book, Past Secrets, Present Lies.

 

Tell me what it is about.

It's a mystery centered around librarian Mattie O'Malley whose world starts spiraling out of control when her secrets and the secrets of others around her start to close in on her.

 

What inspired you to write your first book?

Time...I retired two years ago and decided to take advantage of having the time todo what I have always loved doing...write.

 

Do you have any advice for other writers?

Just do it. NOW! If you wait for the right time, you will be waiting forever. I wish I had done this years ago.

 

What do you write and why?

I write mysteries because that's what I enjoy reading. Write what you know.

 

Are you working on anything new? Give us a preview of what's to come!

I am writing the second book in the Mattie O'Malley Mystery series.

A childhood friend seeks Mattie's help in escaping an abusive husband.

 

Who is your favorite author and what is your favorite book?

My favorite book is Gone with the Wind. I've read it like 20 times.

My favorite author right now is Lisa Jackson. I love the suspense.

 

Where can readers find you and your work?

My website is pastsecretspresentlies.com also Amazon.com

   

The second author I interviewed, Dietrich Stroeh, has just released his book Three Months: A Caregiving Journey from Heartbreak to Healing as a Kindle ebook. 

 

Here is what he had to tell my about his book.

 

What is it about? 

This book recounts what it was like to be a caregiver to my wife who was unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage Four Pancreatic Cancer. It chronicles what it was like find myself in a situation I had never been in before. Within three months of the initial diagnosis, she was gone. So this book takes the reader on the journey I went on in order to lovingly say goodbye. It also serves as a guide that includes resources and recent articles I have written about being a caregiver- basically how to survive.

 

What inspired you to write your first book?  

The first edition of Three Months: A Caregiving Journey from Heartbreak to Healing is paperback. I decided to write an eBook that included updated information, additional resources and more information about what I have learned as a male caregiver. The first book began as a series of notes I wrote at night to help make sense of each day's experiences. The notes also were a way for me to communicate feelings and fears I hadn't shared elsewhere. My hope was to offer something of value to others in the same situation.

 

Do you have any advice for other writers? 

Write from the heart. I believe this is the best way to truly touch other people. Remember, readers are pretty smart. They can tell right away if a writer is being honest. When it comes to the final task, it's really, really important to bring in professional editors and copyeditors who know what they are doing.

 

What do you write and why? 

I choose to write non-fiction, to tell a story about real events. Basically I have written two books and all of the work begins with my making notes to myself that eventually grow into something more.

 

Are you working on anything new? 

Not at this time.

 

Who is your favorite author and what is your favorite book?  

My favorite author: Aldous Huxley. He was a futurist who saw what many others did not see. My favorite book:  Brave New World.

 

Where can readers find you and your work? This $7.99 book is available on Kindle.  

Bio:

J. Dietrich "Diet" Stroeh is an engineer by trade. He has headed up projects great and small, and managed the Marin Municipal Water District in the midst of one of the worst droughts on record. That experience was the basis for his first book, The Man Who Made it Rain, co-written with Michael McCarthy.

 

He founded Stuber-Stroeh Associations, a civil engineering firm that grew into CSW/Stuber-Stroeh Engineering Group in Novato, California, with offices in Sonoma County as well as Sacramento.

 

He is a Director of the Golden Gate Bridge Highway and Transportation District and he sits on the Board of Directors of the Bank of Marin. He is active in the community and has sat on many state wide national boards. 

Mystery Writer Fans - Free Event

 Mystery Writers in the Mausoleum

(by candlelight inside the park's 100-year-old mausoleum)

7 pm Wednesday, October 23, 2013

1900 Franklin Avenue, Santa Rosa

FREE

 
Santa Rosa Memorial Park is hosting its first annual Mystery Writers in the Mausoleum on Wednesday, October 23. The free event takes places in the park's 100-year-old mausoleum. Still without electricity the Odd Fellows mausoleum is located at 1900 Franklin Avenue in Santa Rosa.

 

Nine mystery writers and dramatists will share stories of suspense, mystery, magic and the supernatural by candlelight. Selections will be read by authors Robbi Summers Bryant, Ana Manwaring, Charles Markee, Paul Foley, Jo Laura, and others. The evening will also include two dramatic readings - Edgar Allen Poe's Tell Tale Heart and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein (Chapter 5) by actors David Gonzalez and John Moran. Highlights also include two spooky folktales and a brief Q/A session after each reading.

 

"This is a great way to showcase some of Sonoma County's talented mystery writers," said Laura Neisius, general manager. The mausoleum, she added, will be the perfect setting for spine tingling tales.

 

This event is a collaboration with Redwood Writers, Sisters In Crime NorCal, and FolkHeart Press. The program is scheduled to last from 7 p.m. -9 p.m.  Participants can purchase author's books in the Rose Corridor during intermission.  Warm wear is advised.

 

For details about this free event, visit www.srmp.org.

Before You Go...a Photo to Enjoy

 

Thank You

Thank you for reading our monthly newsletter. And thanks to those of you who pass it on, those who share it with friends and colleagues and those who stop by to give comments or suggestions.

Our goal is to provide new information as well as tried and true information in a new way. Have an idea you want highlighted? Know of an event we should promote? Have a valuable resource for writers, editors or readers? Read a fantastic book you want others to know about? Let us know.

As always if you need a writer or an editor, please contact us. We'd love to help.

Thanks for stopping by and stay tuned...

Sincerely,

Wendy VanHatten 
VanHatten Writing Services
707-685-9478
712-898-7750

Newsletter Production by: Upward Trend